Thoughts on public health and communication in the Caribbean

A new study being reported on by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and others found that there is a possibly and plausible link between drinking coffee a lower risk of prostate cancer, particularly lethal prostate cancer.

The study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, followed close to 48,000 men is among the first to link coffee drinking to lower prostate cancer risk. The Los Angeles Times reported that

“the study found that those who drank more than six cups of coffee per day had a 60% reduced risk of developing lethal prostate cancer compared with nondrinkers.”

Coffee, however, can be detrimental for those with benign prostate cancer.

What does this study mean for prostate cancer prevention? What do you think is the next step for prostate cancer prevention? What more research could be done to better understand the biological risk factors for prostate cancer? How can men at risk for lethal prostate cancer be educated on the health benefits of coffee? What about men for whom drinking coffee is a risk factor for benign prostate cancer? How would a health communication/health education prevention intervention include both groups, with competing messages?